Green Day was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, a celebration that felt a little strange for the punk trio.
Actor Ryan Reynolds, producer Rob Cavallo, former MTV host Matt Pinfield and rapper Flavor Flav were among the celebrities on hand to recognize the band. “This is crazy,” frontman Billie Joe Armstrong declared to the throngs of fans who came out to see the group receive their star. “[It’s] kind of like being at your own funeral.”
“This is for my mom,” the singer added. “This is like my mom’s Super Bowl right now.” Pictures from the event can be seen below.
In an interview with Variety, Armstrong poked a little fun at the honor.
“Now we’re in a time where us kids are getting our day,” the singer smirked. “As people walk and have those dreams and look down at the stars, we can look down and say, ‘Hey, I’m stepping on my face right now!’ Pretty cool.”
Green Day’s ‘Do or Die’ Moment
Elsewhere in his conversation with Variety, Armstrong reflected upon Green Day’s career. The punk group has come a long way from their early club days to their Grammy-winning multi-platinum triumphs. The singer noted that the biggest challenge came when they made the jump to a major label.
“It was a really scary time because it was definitely do or die,” Armstrong explained. “But we practiced every single day, we just wanted to make the best record we possibly could, which ended up being Dookie.”
Released in 1994, Dookie launched the band to superstardom. Green Day has since sold more than 75 million albums and earned enshrinement in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“The key is always to write good songs,” Armstrong explained while pondering their longevity.
“I think we’ve accomplished that. When someone picks up a record like Dookie, it’s a record that sounds like a bunch of guys made it together at a studio last week. For some people, they would never know that record was made 30 years ago. So we’ve been able to accomplish that in the same way as when you listen to something like ‘You Really Got Me’ by the Kinks. That song still resonates for me and it doesn’t sound dated.”
